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A  Setting  Forth  by  Means  of  Diagrams  and  Explanatory 


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Notes  of  the  Extent  of  the  Foreign  Missionary  Field 


-  .  .  : 

Occupied  Exclusively  by  the  Congregationalists  of 
America,  in  Comparison  with  their  Field 
at  Home,  together  with  a  Statement 
of  the  Forces  and  Equipment 
Needed  to  Adequately 
Meet  the  Needs  of 
the  Foreign 
Field 


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BY 


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SAMUEL  B.  CAPEN,  LLD. 

President  of  the  American  Board 


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PUBLISHED  BY  THE 


AMERICAN  BOARD  OF  COMMISSIONERS 

FOR  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

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No.  14  Beacon  Street 
Boston,  Mass. 


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FACING  THE  FACTS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Columbia  University  Libraries 


https  ://arch  i  ve.  org/detai  Is/f  aci  ngf  actssettiOOcape 


FOREWORD 


The  diagrams  and  tabulated  needs  herewith  submitted  are  a  copy 
for  the  most  part  of  charts  prepared  by  the  President  of  the  Board  and 
used  at  the  annual  meeting  in  Minneapolis,  October  14,  1909. 

The  following  extract  from  his  address  we  give  as  in  some  respects 
explanatory.  “The  Apportionment  Plan  proposed  by  the  National 
Advisory  Committee,  which  provides  practically  for  the  ‘underwriting’ 
of  the  whole  ‘missionary  budget’  by  the  local  churches,  is  appealing 
strongly  to  the  common  sense  of  our  men.  It  covers  the  whole  field 
of  home  and  foreign  missionary  interest.  They  approve  it  because  it 
is  definite,  practical,  fair,  and  in  harmony  with  everyday  business 
methods.  ‘What  is  to  be  done  and  what  is  my  share?’  is  a  question 
we  are  familiar  with  in  everyday  life. 

“But  while  our  first  effort  should  be  to  urge  all  our  churches  to 
accept  the  allotments  as  assigned  to  them,  yet  it  ought  to  be  made  clear 
that  this  will  not  adequately  provide  for  the  work  which  as  a  denomina¬ 
tion  we  ought  to  do  and  which  we  can  do  if  we  will.  We  must  translate 
‘The  Call  of  the  East’  into  men  and  money.  The  time  has  come  to  have 
the  appeal  of  the  American  Board  based  upon  the  needs  of  the  field 
and  not  upon  what  we  think  the  people  will  give.  We  ought  to  have  all 
our  churches  understand  more  fully  what  the  pressure  is  from  the  front 
and  how  very  far  short  we  have  come  in  answering  the  call.  We  ought 
to  have  it  known  that  in  some  of  its  stations  the  American  Board  is 
furnishing  only  about  twenty  per  cent  of  what  is  absolutely  necessary, 
and  we  are  practically  compelling  many  of  our  missionaries  to  finance 
their  own  work  to  a  large  extent.  What  should  we  think  of  sending  out  an 
army  and  compelling  the  brave  men  at  the  front  to  find  most  of  their 
food,  ammunition,  and  clothing? 

“I  think  the  Home  Societies  ought  to  do  the  same  thing  and  put 
before  the  churches  what  they  need  to  cover  their  field.  Then  let  the 
Advisory  Committee  put  the  whole  appeal  before  the  churches  and 
expect  them  to  furnish  the  men  and  means  needed  to  do  what  God  has 
committed  to  our  care. 

“I  know  there  are  some  who  are  fearful  lest  the  amount  should  be 
so  large  as  to  paralyze  effort.  In  reply  I  would  say: 

“First.  Has  not  the  time  fully  come  for  a  more  audacious  faith,  or 
perhaps  a  more  real  faith?  How  do  we  know  that  the  very  greatness 
of  the  problem  may  not  be  the  very  challenge  needed?  The  great  Otis 
and  Swett  legacies  years  ago  were  unexpected,  and  God  may  have  it  in 


4 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


his  purpose  to  lead  other  men  to  make  similar  generous  legacies.  Certainly 
we  may  have  from  the  living  some  unexpected  gifts  of  large  amount. 
Such  great  gifts  are  being  made  for  education  and  philanthropy;  may 
we  not  expect  now  similar  gifts  for  missions  ? 

“Second.  While  I  believe  the  great  gifts  will  come  from  some  source, 
it  ought  to  be  noted  that  they  are  not  absolutely  essential.  If  we  could 
have  a  universal  adoption  of  the  personal  pledge  by  every  man  in  our 
churches,  paid,  if  possible,  on  the  weekly  offering  plan,  it  would  give 
every  board  all  the  money  it  needs. 

“  Third.  We  shall  be  much  more  likely  to  increase  the  scale  of 
giving  if  people  really  comprehend  what  is  needed.  If  our  railroads 
and  other  great  corporations  need  great  funds  they  ask  for  them,  showing 
that  they  are  necessary  and  that  they  will  pay.  Shall  not  the  church 
do  likewise,  showing  to  all  how  greatly  larger  gifts  are  needed  and  what 
splendid  returns  they  will  bring?  We  certainly  shall  not  receive  if  we 
do  not  ask.  Let  us  make  the  appeal  based  on  large  plans,  believing 
that  we  may  thus  claim  the  Master’s  promise.” 

On  Saturday,  October  16,  the  Congregational  Brotherhood  passed 
the  following  significant  resolutions,  endorsing  fully  the  position  taken 
by  the  President  of  the  Board: 

“The  Brotherhood  invites  the  seven  national  societies  to  co-operate 
with  it  in  the  selection  of  a  committee  of  a  hundred  laymen  and  a  co¬ 
operating  committee  of  a  hundred  pastors  to  undertake  — 

“(1)  To  project  a  campaign  on  systematic  and  comprehensive  lines 
which  shall  have  as  its  objective  the  lifting  of  the  gifts  of  our  churches 
to  the  ideal  called  for  by  the  apportionment  plan,  namely,  two  million 
dollars  a  year,  realizing,  however,  that  this  apportionment  is  upon  the 
basis  of  the  minimum  requirements  of  the  societies  and  that  if  great 
advances  are  to  be  made  this  year  many  churches  which  are  fully  able 
to  do  so  must  double,  treble,  or  even  quadruple  their  present  apportion¬ 
ments. 

“(2)  To  seek  during  the  course  of  this  campaign,  as  a  basis  for 
present  and  future  missionary  activity,  the  adoption  of  the  following 
cardinal  missionary  methods  by  each  local  church : 

(а)  A  missionary  committee. 

(б)  A  weekly  missionary  offering  plan. 

(c)  An  every  member  canvass. 

( d)  Some  plan  of  systematic  missionary  investigation. 

( e )  Some  plan  of  promoting  prayer  for  missions. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


5 


“It  is  suggested  that  the  seven  national  societies  arrange  to  co-operate 
with  the  above  committees  by  lending  the  assistance  of  their  secretaries 
and  missionaries. 

“It  is  further  suggested  that  the  seven  societies  be  asked  to  place 
before  our  churches  during  the  coming  year  through  the  Advisory  Com¬ 
mittee  a  statement  of  their  needs,  based  upon  what  God  is  evidently 
calling  them  to  do,  and  not  upon  what,  by  reason  of  former  experience, 
they  have  reason  to  expect  the  churches  to  give.” 


6 


FACING  T  FI  E  FACTS 


1  to  34 

Of  the  Protestant  population  of  the  United  States 
somewhat  more  than  20,000,000  are  church  members 
and  about  45,000,000  are  outside  the  church,  or  a 
proportion  of  about  one  to  two.  There  are  700,000 
members  in  the  Congregational  churches  of  the 
United  States.  In  comity,  therefore,  with  other  de¬ 
nominations,  the  Congregationalists  are  responsible 
for  reaching  of  the  non-Christian  population  double 
its  own  membership,  or,  in  round  numbers,  1,500,000. 
The  position,  therefore,  is  this:  —  the  Home  Parish 
of  the  Congregationalists  contains  2,200,000,  of  whom 
one-third,  or  700,000,  are  Christians  and  1,500,000 
are  still  outside  the  church.  The  Congregational 
Parish  Abroad,  for  which,  under  comity  agreements 
with  other  denominations,  wre  are  wholly  responsible, 
contains  75,000,000,  of  whom  but  73,000  are  Chris¬ 
tians.  Our  Parish  Abroad  is,  therefore,  34  times  as 
large  as  our  Parish  at  Home. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


7 


Our  Home  and  Foreign  Fields 


Home  Field,  2,200,000  Persons 


8 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


12  to  1 

The  Congregationalists  of  the  United  States  give 
annually  for  the  support  of  their  own  churches  and 
for  missionary  work  in  the  Home  Field  $9,000,000. 
They  give,  exclusive  of  legacies,  for  the  support  of 
the  work  in  our  Foreign  Field  about  $750,000,  or 
$12  at  home  to  $1  abroad. 

(If  we  should  include  in  the  expenditure  in  our 
Home  Field  the  various  forms  of  City  Missionary 
work,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  etc.,  the  amount  would  be  $25 
at  home  to  $1  abroad.) 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


9 


Expenditures  in  Home  and  Foreign  Fields 


Spend  in  Foreign  Field 
$750,000 


10 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


1  to  225 


In  the  United  States  there  is  one  ordained  minister 
to  every  550  persons.  The  American  Board  has  on 
an  average  in  the  Congregational  Field  Abroad  one 
ordained  missionary  to  every  400,000  persons;  if  we 
include  wives  and  single  women  it  would  be  one  to 
every  125,000  persons.  The  average  parish  abroad 
is,  therefore,  225  times  as  great  as  the  average  parish 
at  home.  There  are  some  sections  where  there  is 
but  one  ordained  missionary  to  a  million  people. 


F  A  C  I  NG  THE  FAC  T  S 


11 


Average  Parish,  Home  and  Foreign  Fields 


Average  Home  Parish 
550  Persons 


Average  Foreign  Parish 
125,000  Persons 


12 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


400  to  1 


Congregation alists  in  the  United  States  give 
for  the  2,200,000  persons  in  their  Home  Field, 
$9,000,000  per  annum,  or  $4  per  capita.  They 
give  for  the  75,000,000  persons  in  their  Foreign 
Field,  $750,000,  or  one  cent  per  capita. 

This  is  400  to  1. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


13 


Per  Capita  Gifts  for  Home  and  Foreign  Fields 


Home  Field 
$4.00 


Foreign  Field 
I  cent 


14 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


1  to  42 

Seven  hundred  thousand  Congregationalists  give 
about  $750,000  for  the  work  of  the  American  Board, 
or  $1  per  capita.  The  73,000  members  in  our  native 
churches  abroad  gave  last  year  $262,764,  and  this 
represents  not  nearly  the  full  amount  of  their  giving, 
but  only  what  was  reported  by  our  missions. 

A  day’s  wage  abroad  averages  about  20  cents; 
a  day’s  wage  at  home  averages  at  least  $2.50,  or 
twelve  times  as  much.  This  gift  of  $262,764,  there¬ 
fore,  is  equivalent  to  a  gift  in  the  United  States  of 
over  $3,000,000;  this  equals  $42  per  capita  from 
the  73,000  native  Christians. 

The  suggestion  is  sometimes  made  that  we  are 
pauperizing  the  native  Christians.  The  facts  are 
that  they  are  giving  an  equivalent  of  $42  to  our  $1. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


15 


Per  capita  Gifts  to  A.  B.  C.  F.  M.  from 
Home  and  Native  Christians 


From  Home  Christians,  $1.00  per  capita 


From  Native  Christians,  equal  to 
$42  per  capita 


16 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


1  to  4300 

In  the  United  States  there  is  one  physician  to  every 
577  persons.  In  the  non-Christian  world  there  is 
one  medical  missionary  to  every  2,500,000  persons. 
This  is  a  proportion  of  1  to  4300.  If  this  proportion 
were  applied  to  the  United  States,  it  would  give  our 
whole  country  but  thirty-two  physicians  and  sur¬ 
geons;  it  would  give  New  England  but  two;  and 
some  of  the  smaller  states  would  have  to  share  the 
services  of  their  neighbors’  doctors.  Even  if  we 
should  take  into  account  the  trained  native  doctors 
and  the  foreign  doctors  practising  privately  or  under 
government,  the  results  would  be  only  a  trifle  less 
startling.  Even  this  does  not  tell  the  whole  story; 
the  American  Board  has  one  field  of  5,000,000  per¬ 
sons  with  only  one  medical  missionary. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


17 


Physicians  at  Home  and  Medical  Missionaries  Abroad 


□ 

Average  Field  of  Physicians 
in  the  United  States 
577  Persons 


Average  Field  of  Medical  Missionaries 
in  non-Christian  Lands 
2(500,000  Persons 


18 


FACING  T  FIE  FACTS 


NEEDS  OF  THE  BOARD 


Under  an  Adequate  Missionary  Policy 


MISSIONARY  REINFORCEMENTS 


Additional  Missionary  Families 

Turkey . 42 

China . 32 

India  and  Ceylon . 17 

Papal  Lands .  7 

Japan .  8 

Micronesia  )  _ 

Philippines  j 

Africa . 10 


Total . 121 

Outfit  and  Traveling  Expenses . $145,200 

New  Mission  Buildings 

115  Churches . $186,000 

24  j  hospitals  )  .  166,000 

(  Dispensaries  j 

11  Mission  Presses .  60,000 

103  Residences  (Av.  $2800) .  288,400 

253  $700,400 

Annual  Increase  for  Missionaries’  Salaries 

42  Turkey . $  46,200 

32  China .  35,200 

17  India  and  Ceylon . 18,700 

7  Papal  Lands .  7,700 

8  Japan .  8,800 

r  j  Micronesia  ) .  5 ,500 

(  Philippines  j 

10  Africa . 11,000 


121  $133,100 

Annual  Increase  for  Native  Work 

Turkev . $  28,700 

China  * .  20,000 

India  and  Ceylon .  35,500 

Papal  Lands . 14,000 

Japan .  8,000 

Micronesia  )  4>0oo 

Philippines  ) 

Africa . 10,000 


$120,200 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


19 


NEEDS  OF  THE  BOARD 


Under  an  Adequate  Missionary  Policy 


EDUCATIONAL  REINFORCEMENTS 

College  Reinforcements 


Turkey . 19 

China .  5 

India .  7 

Ceylon .  1 

Japan .  2 

Mexico .  2 

Africa .  1 

Micronesia .  1 


Total . 38 

Outfit  and  Traveling  Expenses . $34,000 


New  Educational  Buildings 

14  Theological . 

22  Collegiate . 

23  Schools . 

27  Residences . 


$  65,500 
253,000 
168,100 
75,600 


86 


$562,200 


Annual  Increase  for  Education 

Turkey . 

China . 

India . 

Ceylon . 

Japan  . 

Mexico . 

Africa . 

Micronesia . 


$38,100 

13,000 

15,500 

2,000 

5,000 

4,000 

3,000 

2,000 


Or  about  4%  on  proposed  $2,000,000  Endowment 


$82,600 


20 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


NEEDS  OF  THE  BOARD 


Under  an  Adequate  Missionary  Policy 


SUMMARY  OF  NEEDS 

Outfit  and  Traveling  Expenses 

121  Missionary  Families . 

38  Teachers . 


Plant 

253  Mission  Buildings  .... 
86  Educational  Buildings  . 


Increased  Annual  Expense 

121  Missionary  Families . 

Higher  Education . 

Native  Work . 


$145,200 

34,000 


$179,200 

$700,400 

562,200 


$1,262,600 


$133,100 

82,600 

120,200 


$335,900 

4* 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


21 


The  Present  Work  of  the  Board 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  statement  as  to  the  pressing  needs  of  the 
Board  and  the  importance  of  an  adequate  financial  policy  of  advancement, 
our  readers  will  be  interested  to  know  the  extent  of  the  Board’s  work 
at  the  present  time  together  with  the  cost  of  the  same. 

The  receipts  of  the  Board  in  1908-1909  were  $953,573.69, 
including  legacies  and  income  from  invested  funds.  Deducting 
what  was  paid  upon  the  debt  of  preceding  years  we  have  $894,275.83, 
as  the  amount  which  was  disbursed  during  the  year.  This  sum  was 
made  to  cover:  — 

The  salaries  of  581  missionaries. 

The  outfits  of  missionaries  newly  appointed. 

The  traveling  expenses  of  missionaries  going  to  their  fields  or  return¬ 
ing. 

Touring  expenses  of  missionaries  on  the  field. 

Grants  for  missionaries  retired  on  account  of  old  age  or  physical 
infirmity. 

The  conduct  of  fifteen  colleges. 

The  conduct  of  fifteen  theological  seminaries  and  training  schools. 

The  conduct  of  144  high  schools. 

The  conduct  of  1309  common  schools  (70,979  pupils  in  attendance). 

The  employment  of  such  of  our  4564  native  workers  as  are  not 
supported  by  native  churches. 

The  conduct  of  our  71  hospitals  and  dispensaries,  treating  over 
300,000  cases. 

The  conduct  of  our  printing  presses  and  publication  plants  which 
issued  millions  of  pages  of  literature  in  27  languages. 

The  conduct  of  our  extensive  industrial  work. 

The  administration  expenses  of  the  Board,  including  salaries  of 
officers,  clerks,  etc.,  expenses  of  missionaries  and  speakers 
visiting  the  churches,  office  expenses  at  Boston,  New  York, 
Chicago,  and  Berkeley,  magazines  and  leaflets  for  informing 
the  churches  —  everything  which  properly  belongs  in  this  class 
of  expenditures. 


22 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


With  such  an  extensive  missionary  plant  already  in  operation,  every 
increase  in  receipts  adds  materially  to  the  work.  The  increase  of  the 
$150,000  contemplated  under  the  Apportionment  Plan  would  at  least 
double  the  effectiveness  of  our  missionaries,  so  great  are  the  opportunities 
under  present  world  conditions.  The  securing  of  the  sums  called  for, 
if  we  should  pursue  an  adequate  missionary  policy,  would  so  enormously 
increase  the  fruitfulness  of  the  work  in  extending  Christianity  as  to 
make  a  mathematical  statement  impracticable. 

By  the  division  of  the  world  field  among  the  different  denominations, 
75,000,000  persons  are  assigned  to  us  as  our  special  responsibility.  This 
great  multitude  must  be  brought  to  Christ  by  the  Congregationalists 
of  America. 


FACING  THE  FACTS 


23 


As  to  Administration  Expenses 

The  following  extract  is  from  an  address  by  President  Capen  at 
the  Providence  meeting  of  the  Laymen’s  Missionary  Movement  in  Novem¬ 
ber,  1909: 

“When  I  was  in  Hartford  a  short  time  ago,  a  gentleman  stated 
that  ‘it  costs  a  dollar  to  get  a  dollar  to  the  heathen.’  In  the  city  of  Water- 
bury,  I  was  advised  that  a  gentleman  made  the  statement  that  ‘it  costs 
three  dollars  to  get  a  dollar  to  the  heathen.’  At  Minneapolis,  at  the 
meeting  of  the  American  Board,  a  gentleman  told  me  that  he  had  sup¬ 
posed  that  ‘out  of  a  gift  of  three  dollars,  two  dollars  go  into  expenses.’ 
At  Worcester,  a  few  days  ago,  a  statement  was  made  that  ‘out  of  every 
dollar  given  for  missions,  ninety  cents  go  into  the  expenses.’  With 
such  ignorance  on  the  part  of  so  many,  it  may  be  well  to  say  that  the 
total  expenses  of  administration,  collecting  funds,  correspondence, 
agencies,  rents  in  Boston,  New  York,  Chicago,  and  Berkeley,  publica¬ 
tions  and  miscellaneous  charges  is  9.45%.  From  this  we  deduct  the 
interest  from  a  fund  existing  for  that  purpose,  leaving  the  net  expense 
account  9.18%,” 


